


You're the air that I breathe

by xCloudy_1412



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe, Assistant Inspector!Aoko, Detective Inspector!Saguru, Diving Instructor!Shinichi, F/F, Fluff, Hurt and comfort, Kaito Protection Squad 2k18, M/M, Phobias, Swimming Instructor!Ran, cruise ship au, magician!Kaito, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-07-13 13:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16019063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xCloudy_1412/pseuds/xCloudy_1412
Summary: Kaito has two fears.Everyone knows about hisichthyophobiabut no one knows about his second fear. That is until Saguru shoved him on a cruise ship with a complimentary swimming course and maybe it was a bad idea considering everything.





	You're the air that I breathe

**Author's Note:**

> So, Fumi challenged me again with the phrase 'Drowning in Blue', bring it on gurl.
> 
> I noticed that I always make Saguru, Aoko and Kaito childhood friends and I have no idea why but I really like the concept? (or this is just an excuse for brotherly HakuKai //slapped) and yes, this is comedy, barely any angst I promise. 
> 
> I have the usual warnings for this fic including language, sexual innuendoes, phobia triggers, grammatical errors and misspellings but if you're fine with all of that then read on~!
> 
> Hope you enjoy~.

Kaito has a list of bad decisions in life, ranging from trying out sashimi to accompanying Aoko on a dessert tour in Japan's Sweets Capital but he never considered _harmless pranking_ as one of them.

Clearly, he was wrong as he was lugged towards a huge white cruise ship named _'The Phantom Voyage'_ with a sleek state of the art design, complete with its own indoor and outdoor pool, a Game Center, a casino and many more attractions and he's never regretted something in his life more than this. 

"Have I said I was sorry for turning your hair pink because I am so _so_ sorry and I have the cure right here, we can just go home, take a bath and be done with it? Saguru? Hey buddy talk to me??" The magician blabbered on as he clung onto a lamppost just a few feet away from the cruise's boarding area, Saguru had a tight grip on the magician's arm as said brit's face radiated with deadly rage and determination. The magician's suggestions disappeared with the wind as the (currently) pink haired man pulled him with strength Kaito never knew he had. 

"You crossed the line Kaito," Saguru stated with finality, whipping up a cruel smile as he climbed up the stairs towards the ship's entrance, 

"Prepare to pay the consequences." The Brit cackled out like a madman as he informed the concierge of his advance reservations and Kaito contemplated suicide by ballpen. 

"I'm enjoying this quite a lot," Aoko airily laughed behind her petite hand, tugging along two enormous bags that were apparently clothes and necessities, "You don't get a chance to ride a ship with a built in aquarium everyday right Kaito?" The little gremlin was smirking just like Saguru and Kaito wondered what he did to deserve this. 

Oh right, he had pranked Saguru in front of all of Division One. It was apparently a big thing as Saguru's father was in attendance as well as every other higher ups in the police force and Kaito didn't understand how pink hair and helium-induced high pitched-ness was worse than the time the magician had literally dressed the blonde in a tight-fitting lingerie, complete with fish net stockings and bows, and led him on a wild goose chase all over Yoshiwara on high heels. Ugh, his friends were weird. Weird _and_ cruel. 

"We're gonna enjoy this cruise, won't we Kaito?" The aforementioned man sang out in a sickly tone that almost made Kaito feel like vomiting if he wasn't already sick from the constant swaying of the ship. "Here are our room keys, dinner's at 7, general curfew is at 12 midnight not unless you're going to the movie theater or the casino and our first stop after unpacking is the aquarium." 

To Kaito's defense, the inhumane scream that came tumbling out of his throat as Saguru finalized their course of activities was highly justifiable because hello, ichthyophobia?? Fear of fish? 

"You fucking bastard, I knew I should have never approached you in elementary school!" Kaito exclaimed with a point of his finger at the (currently) terrifying man.

"Yes, and you will rue the day you pranked me in front of everyone in the police force for the rest of your life." Saguru gave one last haughty laugh before dragging Kaito to their rooms and Kaito just prayed that he makes it through the week alive. 

Their rooms were themed, _Kaito's_ room was freaking _fish_ themed. 

The walls were painted baby blue with bubbles and seaweed motifs slapped onto the bottom and corners of the wall, around the room were various sea creatures littered and scattered, the bed was a decent queen sized bed with cerulean colored sheets with orange clown fish prints and above the headboard rested a miniature finny thing tank with tiny finny things swimming around and Kaito swore he fell into hysteria for a few moments before manning up and just pointedly ignoring the wide-eyed creatures of the depth. 

15 minutes into unpacking, the intercom rang out and the captain announced the start of the cruise's maiden voyage and 5 minutes later, Kaito was doubled over his toilet hacking up his earlier lunch due to the faint sway of the sea and he didn't want to think about it that much. 

"Looks like someone needs some help," An annoyingly British voice called out from the doorway of Kaito's bathroom, there stood Saguru in his full white shirt-puke green cardigan ensemble and (now) blonde hair (because Kaito was kind enough to give him the cure) looking perfectly normal in the constant sway of the ship. "I hate you so much," The magician hissed out as he flushed the toilet and staggered towards his bed, tossing the sheets to the ground and poofing out his very own regular white blanket. "Aoko's waiting for us at the entrance of the Aquarium, I intend to enjoy this cruise to the fullest." Saguru pointed out and Kaito wanted to die, his hands were shaking at this point and the blonde was enjoying it. The sadistic little freak— No, no he shouldn't get carried away. He reminded himself of his poker face and calmed himself, thinking that he was just on an airplane, a very turbulent airplane that just had the sound of waves. Yeah, that helped a lot. 

Saguru dragged him all the way to the Aquarium and Kaito found himself slowly getting used to the slight sway to the ship. The Aquarium's entrance was dark, illuminated only by a tunnel of glass that showcased a number of finny thing species. At the side stood Nakamori Aoko in a white and light blue sundress, a small sling bag held in her left hand and tickets on her right. "They have sharks in there too," The lady commented with a tone that was purely sadistic as she distributed the tickets between the 3 childhood friends. 

"I wanna visit the stingrays first! I heard you could pet them!!" Aoko exclaimed whilst tugging the two men towards the petting zoo and Kaito made it a point to show them that he had gloves and he _will_ use them. 

The stingray petting session was absolutely horrendous, Saguru made it clear that he was planning on making Kaito's life living hell by literally grabbing the magician's hand and placing it on the stingray for far longer than what Kaito was comfortable with and the said creature was so bony and slimy Kaito swore a whimper tumbled out of his lips as the thing moved and squirmed underneath Kaito's soaked gloved hand. "Aren't they just so majestic?" Saguru crooned out as he ran a finger down the stingray's spine before stepping back and letting Aoko drag them to the next attraction. 

"I fucking hate you and all that you represent, after all of this is over I will sue you for attempted murder and you'll never see the light of day—" The bickering continued on for the next couple of attractions and Kaito had resigned to his fate after the 2nd petting of finny things and was completely okay with getting eaten by a shark when the ship suddenly jerked to the side, flinging Kaito face first onto a glass exhibit which showcased a cat fish who conveniently opened its mouth in a yawn, showing Kaito an endless abyss that was its mouth and the magician was horrified. He could vaguely hear the sound of the intercom apologizing for the sudden disturbance as they had dodged a family of whales or something, Kaito didn't hear clearly as he had bolted away in an attempt to find an exit to the dark exhibit.

The magician was fairly certain that he didn't have claustrophobia but maybe he had the slightest traces of it as the numerous glass exhibits made the man feel trapped and anxious to the point where he had crouched behind a 'Slippery, Do not step' sign, hugging his knees while he faced the black wall and tried not to slip into hyperventilation, beside him was an exhibit for some sea snake and that wasn't really helping the his situation.

"Deep breaths, think of chocolate, land, soil, dirt, solid ground, more chocolate, magic tricks." 

Kaito was momentarily pulled out of his hysteria when a voice rang out, soft and questioning. 

"Are you alright, sir?" It was a man's voice, Kaito faintly mused out as he moved to reply with a 'No' but all that came out was a small whimper. "Finny things," The magician pathetically choked out as he shrunk back against the wall, eyes screwed shut because he knew that a sea snake sat leisurely by his side and on his other side was a school of fish. 

"Oh," The voice seemed to have a revelation as Kaito heard faint shuffling and a warm hand was placed on his back. "I'll take you to the exit, you can keep your eyes close." The voice came from beside Kaito, far too close than what was considered polite but the magician didn't care because he was focused on getting the hell out of the place. 

He was brought to his feet by another hand and was gently led to an unknown direction with the mystery man constantly commenting and cooing out words to tell Kaito that they were almost out and that he needs to take in deep breaths. 

"You can open your eyes now," The man whispered out as he came to a halt, Kaito stopping in suit. The magician took a few moments to register his surroundings (a slight breeze, the sun hitting his eyelids and the sound of the waves) before finally opening his eyes and finding a doppelgänger standing in front of him.

The man wore a simple button up shirt with the cruise's insignia on it's breast pocket, simple slacks and shoes, a g-shock watch (waterproof) on his left wrist and a timer (also waterproof) hastily tucked into his right pocket. What caught Kaito's eyes were the uncanny likeliness of their faces although unlike Kaito's artfully messy hair, his was combed clean with only a few spots held rebelliously aloft and Kaito had weird not blue, not purple eyes compared to the man's ~~beautiful~~ bright blue, azure eyes. 

"Um," Kaito started with the intelligence he obviously inherited from Einstein, "Thanks." He said with a sheepish smile, fidgeting and taking deep breaths. 

"No problem, it's our job to help our guests." The man answered with a light smile, nodding his head making his gravity-defying locks to bounce just the slightest bit. Kaito was doing a slight victory dance as the man didn't seem to be keen on bringing up his little predicament from earlier. 

"You—" The man seemed like he was about to say something but Saguru just had to have the best timing in the world and came barging in, donning his fake mother hen voice with a very believable worried expression on his face but something tells Kaito that the gleam in Saguru's eyes was something more akin to 'sadistic enjoyment' than 'concern'. 

"Kaito! You have us very worried! Aoko almost fell into hysteria when you ran away, we looked everywhere for you and you're off traipsing with another man." The blonde held a scolding tone, fine eyebrows scrunched up in 'concern' as Saguru took hold of the magician in a twisted noogie.

"It was your idea to bring _me_ to an Aquarium of all places, you had it coming." Kaito mumbled against Saguru's bicep that found its way around Kaito's neck, the blonde only laughed heartily as he bowed a perfect 90° towards the mystery man. 

"Thank you for coddling my friend over here, he can be quite a handful sometimes." Saguru thanked the mystery man profusely for a few more minutes before dragging Kaito away, towards the buffet area apparently because Aoko was binging on the desserts section included in the 'Afternoon Tea Package'. 

Halfway through his chocolate parfait, Kaito realized that he never got his 'savior's' name and he totally blames Saguru for manhandling him away before he got the chance to ask. "Why are you glaring at me?" Saguru asked with an air of annoying confidence as he sliced his vanilla Mont Blanc into quarters. "Nothing," The magician sniffed with slight disdain as he inhaled his parfait, "I'm just thinking about how much I despise you," Saguru seemed to be satisfied with Kaito's statement as he laughed and just took mini bites from his dessert. 

Oh well, he'll probably bump into that mystery man sooner or later since he was a staff and they were kinda stuck in the middle of the ocean so chances were high that Kaito would see him again.

"We were planning on going to the movies after this," Aoko stated after her 5th chocolate glazed flan, "They're showing some Sherlock movie that Saguru wanted to watch," The brunette stated with a hum, scooping herself a spoonful of delicious flan. "I'll pass, I don't like detectives that much, especially not a detective who smokes coccaine and has a hefty amount of psychopathic tendencies." Kaito took pleasure in the indignant sound that came from his right, "How dare you! Sherlock is a sociopath!" Argued Saguru with a hiss, "Are you really going to ignore the fact that he does drugs?!" The magician shrieked out and the discussion went on for another 30 minutes before Aoko looked at her Murano Glass Watch (a gift from Chikage, all the way from Italy that she loved to flaunt around just because said woman gave Kaito a 'I <3 Italy' fridge magnet) and proceeded to inhale all her desserts and dragging the two into the movie theater. 

In the end, they watched the wrong movie which ended up being Finding Nemo, then Finding Dory and then Finding Kaito because Kaito wasn't having any of that finny thing bullshit so he left the theaters halfway through the jellyfish scene in Finding Nemo. 

"Fuck that, finny things don't talk, they can't read and they shouldn't possess that much intelligence." The magician mumbled sullenly to himself as he exited the movie theaters, rounding up a corner to return to his room. He had a makeover to do.

Fast forward an hour later, Kaito had succeeded in doing a patchy makeover of his room featuring black tarps that covered every finny thing motif in the room, the built in finny thing tank that rested above the headboard was also covered by a pure black tarp and it was certainly an improvement and Kaito was forever grateful for his arsenal of weird things and finally, the magician could rest comfortably on his bed without having to see finny things around him, letting the warmth of the sheets lull him to sleep Kaito dreamt of floating in a sea of azure and he couldn't decide whether it was a nightmare or a pleasant dream.

☁︎☁︎☁︎

He woke up to the shrill sound of the telephone, answering it with a drawled out 'Y'ello?' and a long yawn.

_'Good morning, Mister Kuroba! This is your courtesy call from the front desk, it is currently 8:05 AM and Mister Hakuba Saguru requests your presence at the indoor pool by 8:30. Have a good day and please do enjoy the cruise.'_

Kaito would have laughed at the fakeness of the telephone lady if he wasn't so seasick, compared to yesterday the ship rocked a little bit more violently as they sailed against tides and currents. It took him 40 minutes to get ready as the constant sway threatened to make him vomit again, he staggered towards the indoor pool holding a bag of necessary items including a throw-up bag, some swimming trunks, hard candy and many more. 

Saguru waited for him by the edge of the pool, wearing simple maroon swim trunks and Kaito was mildly disappointed that he didn't wear the speedo gag gift he gave him for his 20th birthday. Aoko was lounging by the deep end of the pool wearing a cute frilly pink two-piece with cute strawberry motifs littered across the chest area, only Kaito wasn't in a swimming attire instead he opted for ripped jeans, a white jacket and a tee with the words 'Fuck off' written in blocky letters, font size 50 just so that Saguru could see. 

"Kaito, how nice of you to join us!" The blonde exclaimed in mock surprise, sending him a warm smile as his feet kicked back and forth sending water splashing in all directions. "I would have slept throughout the entire day if someone didn't ask the front desk to do a courtesy call for my room," Kaito replied, taking a seat on the rough surface just inches from the pool. 

"In order to enjoy this cruise you have to start the day early! And besides," A sadistic gleam overtook Saguru's eyes and Kaito found himself sweating, "They're offering complimentary courses to the guests of the cruise~." Saguru cooed out, flicking a splash of water towards Kaito as his expression turned into downright sadistic pleasure, "Of course I chose the swimming course," Kaito began to make a mental version of his will as he was sure he was going to die on this cruise.

"Swimming lessons, diving courses, fish viewing, scuba diving, the entire package!" The blonde was positively cackling at this point drawing the attention of some children who have gathered at the side of the pool, Kaito looked beyond mortified as his usually slightly tan complexion paled further into a deathly sick tone. 

"Saguru please..." The magician begged in a pleading tone he never knew he possessed, watching as the blonde's eyes softened just the slightest bit and maybe he had hope but then the man locked his jaw and shook his head. "You embarrassed me in front of the entire force Kaito, on top of that you made me do both the opening and closing remarks AND in between speeches in a high pitched voice, I'm the laughing stock of the entire police force right now! You deserve what's coming." With an air of finality, the blonde huffed and jumped down to join Aoko in the deep ends of the pool while Kaito just wallowed in self pity as the sense of dread that has settled on his stomach grew increasingly more rampant.

"Everyone! The swimming lessons are about to start, gather around." A feminine voice hollered as a brunette that looked strikingly like Aoko appeared into the magician's field of view. She wore a dark blue speedo one piece with a circular hole cut into her back for flair, her hair cascaded downwards covering most of her back but unlike Aoko's tomboyish hair, the lady had a weird spike standing proud on top of her head. Her eyes were lavender, soft and gentle with a big doey effect to it making her seem like the perfect wife you'd find only in dramas. "That's our cue Kaito," Aoko called out, gaze stuck to the swimming instructor. Saguru held a very pointed expression behind Aoko as if to silently convey that Kaito had no escape and he should just resign to his fate and get over his 'stupid' phobia(s). 

The magician escaped his friends for a moment to change clothes, taking his sweet time in the changing room before rejoining his group who were gathered at the side of the pool with who Kaito assumed was the swimming instructor.

"I'm Mouri Ran, you're swimming instructor for the entire course. We'll be tackling the basics such as proper posture, freestyle, backstroke, floating and the like! But for those who would like a challenge I can teach you butterfly, breast and other intermediate stuff." Mouri explained and then it dawned to Kaito that those who attended the lessons were all _children_ and the trio were the only full grown adults there and they probably looked like pedophiles, gods Saguru had no shame. 

Mouri had herded the children to the shallow side of the pool and began a quick warm-up filled with cheers and callbacks, Kaito just hung his head and went with it. 

Once the children were all happily clinging to the edges and practicing their kicks, Mouri went over to the trio where Aoko was constantly patting her hair down, Saguru was biting back a laugh and Kaito was clinging onto the pool's edge for dear life because the Olympic size swimming pool held far more water than what Kaito would like.

"Hey there," The lady chirped out as she came to a stop in front of the trio, "You may have heard but I'll say it again since the kids could get pretty rowdy, I'm Mouri Ran!" 

"Nakamori Aoko," The assistant-inspector squeaked out in an octave way higher than what Kaito normally heard, 

"Hakuba Saguru, Detective Inspector, at your service." Saguru greeted with a slight bow and a charming smile,

"Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire, not happy to be here but will go with it because Saguru used up all his monthly bonuses for this and I'm a good friend contrary to some," His words held an unspoken bitterness to them as Mouri let out a small laugh at his words. "Don't mind him, he has a fear of fish." Aoko cut in far more eager than the other two, "Aoko!" Kaito shrieked out as Aoko confided one of his biggest secrets to a stranger.

"Oh," Mouri looked like she just met a distant relative with a slight twinkle of knowingness in her eyes and an upturn to her lips resulting in a half-smirk. "A fear of fish," She repeated with a slight drawl to her words, "Let's drop it." Kaito hastily answered, shrinking back against the cold tiled walls of the pool. 

"Okay, so what do you guys wanna do? I have a timer and we could just race around while the kids practice by the side." Mouri offered kindly, holding up a waterproof timer that looked suspiciously like something Kaito saw yesterday. "A race would be nice," Saguru agreed with a nod, Aoko took it as a challenge.

"A three way race? Whoever finishes 5 laps first wins?" Aoko laid out with a smirk, stretching her arms to show slender limbs and a well-toned stomach. Kaito snickered as he watched Mouri's gaze travel down the expanse of exposed skin.

"Different strokes per lap, 1 freestyle, 1 butterfly, 2 backstroke, 2 breaststroke." Kaito added, letting the familiar rush of competition momentarily take him from his anxieties. Mouri looked mildly surprised at the sudden difficulty hike of their friendly race but Aoko and Saguru seemed to take up the mantle as they chose their specific lanes.

"I'll be the referee," Mouri stammered out, hiking herself up onto the edge of the pool to get a clear view of the three. "Want me to slow down for you two?" Saguru offered in mock pity as he stretched his biceps and got on the plank, "Yeah right, I'll win. You suck at backstroke because you're so rigid." Aoko bit back with a bark of laughter, fishing out pale pink goggles from a small pouch. "Please, guys. We know who the clear winner is." Kaito laughed out loud with a prideful smirk, 

"Ready," Mouri started as the trio took their stances, "Get set....." Kaito held his breathe, leaning down and preparing to launch himself into the pool. He was okay, it was just a pool, it was controlled, it wasn't free flowing, it was just a rectangle— 

"Go!" 

The sound of Mouri's whistle signaled the start of the race as the trio launched themselves almost at the same time with Kaito lagging behind by a millisecond. Saguru was leading, his strokes coordinated with steady breathing every two strokes, Kaito was second with fervent strokes halfway forgetting to breathe on his right, Aoko was last by a few inches as her shorter stature failed to propel her forward as much as the other two. 

Butterfly was easier for Kaito as the tug of both hands pulling him forward reminded him to breathe with every stroke, he caught up to the blonde who had difficulties with synchronizing both his arms while Aoko slowly caught up to the two, after the 2nd lap Aoko caught up and was tied with Saguru while Kaito led by a small margin. 

Backstroke was the nail on Saguru's coffin as the sudden change of position jostled him into a momentary halt whilst struggling to alternate his hands above his head, Aoko passed him, excelling in the stroke as the position change didn't faze her at all. Kaito was the same, except he was getting rather nauseous at the sudden burst of activities in the water. The backstroke position helped ease it a bit as he was currently facing upwards with his entire face free from the water. Taking in shallow breaths, the magician finished the 2 laps of backstroke and moved on to the last: breaststroke.

Saguru fell behind by a few feet but immediately reclaimed his spot beside Aoko around the 1st breaststroke as the AI slowed from tiredness, Kaito propelled himself forward having finished his 1st lap of breaststroke. One more lap to go! Saguru and Aoko were close on his tail, but the magician had a head start on them. He could win!

He could win, technically if he hadn't looked straight forward under water and noticed just how far the wall was from him and how empty the pool looked from underneath and his body involuntarily convulsed sending the magician into slight panic as he choked on a mouthful of water, his luck must have damned him as he found himself flailing in the deep area of the pool. He was saved by the instructor, or who he assumed to be Mouri as who else had a waterproof timer on them before the magician passed out. 

He woke up to white walls and a deathly pale looking Aoko by his side. 

"Kaito!" The lady exclaimed, pouncing on the magician with a tight hug and a shaky exhale of relief. "What happened? We were just swimming and when we looked back you were drowning and God Kaito what happened?!" Aoko was rambling on and Kaito felt nothing but shame coursing through his veins because he knew the reason as to why he almost drowned and he didn't want to tell her. 

"Sorry, sorry! My eyes started to hurt from the chlorine in the pool and the pain caught up to me," The magician lied with skills he never wanted to use on his childhood friend. "I got a little careless and when I tried to blink underwater, I lost my balance and sort of panicked." He added to further sugar coat the truth, Aoko looked like she wasn't buying it but nonetheless nodded her head. "Okay then," She mumbled with downturned lips, "Saguru went out to thank your savior, we were pretty shaken up when you suddenly drowned." Aoko laid out for him and Kaito nodded along, "Tell Mouri-chan that I said thank you for saving this sorry ass." Kaito hummed out with a small chuckle, albeit riled up by what almost transpired the magician couldn't forget his gratitude.

"Eh? Ran didn't save you," Aoko stated with a raised eyebrow, and wow first name basis she was soooo gonna get laid. "Some other guy saved you, brown hair and a diving suit." She offered with a vague description of his savior, "Where is he? I gotta thank him, again." Kaito asked with a slight pout because damn he sounded so needy. 

"I thanked him and I told him sorry for having to coddle you and he's on his merry way away now." The newly returned Brit stated with a soft sigh, entering the room now dressed in slacks and a hastily buttoned up shirt that was rather soaked around the edges with the evident quick change of attires as Kaito was most probably rushed to the infirmary. "I wanted to thank him..." The magician sullenly replied with a sigh, letting his head loll back against the metal frame of the bed, "What you need to do is rest. You still have some water in your system and you're probably shaken up from earlier so rest, we'll take turns watching over you." Aoko growled out, pinning the magician onto bed and forcing him to rest with aggressive care. 

The rest of the day was spent with Kaito stuck to bed and Aoko force-feeding him rabbit apples and other fruits she whipped up in a twisted fruit cocktail and Kaito couldn't be more thankful for the fact that the infirmary was pure white and didn't have a single trace of aquatic themes and the magician slept peacefully that night.

In his dreams, he silently mused that maybe the events that had occurred would give Saguru a change of heart and maybe call the fastest heli to take them back to Ekoda.

☁︎☁︎☁︎

One look at Saguru's face was enough to crush Kaito's hopes of returning to Ekoda as the blonde held a smirk far bigger than when they first boarded.

"We're taking diving lessons today by the side of the ship," He stated and Kaito wondered if he was just stubbornly denying the fact that Kaito would die if he sees another speck of water or he just really wanted to get his revenge for all the times the magician's pranked him. "Saguru, if you love me and want me to be with you till we're both old and playing bingo at some retirement center I highly suggest you call Uncle Nakamori with his fastest helicopter to take us back to Ekoda." Kaito chittered out with an expression that screamed out 'pleading'. 

"I paid millions for this cruise and I will enjoy it, with you of course." Saguru stubbornly replied with a cross of his arms, leading Kaito to observe his overall attire which was a a full-body black body suit with red lines trimming the edges, he was barefooted too and Kaito had to physically stop his right hand from spreading thumbtacks all over his feet. 

"Chop chop! Diving lessons start in a little while, we're going through the basics before we go scuba diving." Saguru exclaimed with an upbeat tone to his voice, bounding over to the side of the ship where a stairway led them down to a patio-like platform that had only a handful of people, half being Kaito's group. 

"Are you doing fine?" Aoko asked as the two men approached her, she wore a white body suit with pastel pink linings, her hair was raised in loops clipped by a cute hairpin. "Do I look okay?" Kaito hissed out against gritted teeth because he was literally just a few feet away from the open ocean and he was trying real hard not to pass out.

"I'm gonna go get changed," Kaito stammered out, clinging onto the stairway's railing. "You're not going to run away, are you?" Aoko timidly asked with grey eyes that shone with sadness. "I want to swim with you, Kaito." She whispered and Kaito knew that he never went along with his other two childhood friends on summer outings for as long as they knew each other which was saying a lot because he met Aoko in primary school and Saguru in elementary. "I promise I won't." He whispered with his best reassuring smile and the fear he felt was worth it when he saw how bright Aoko's eyes lit up. 

He went to a nearby changing room which offered the body suits and in less than 5 minutes, Kaito climbed down the stairs wearing a cerulean body suit with white and blue lining the ends, the zipper wasn't fully zipped up instead hung a few inches from the top because Kaito didn't have the guts to zip it all the way up due to how suffocating the suit feels. He rejoined Aoko and Saguru who looked equally excited to jump into the ocean as opposed to Kaito who was doing his best to hide his anxiety behind his well-crafted poker face, a few minutes passed before the sound of footsteps padded behind them and a voice called out.

"Sorry I'm late, I'm your diving instructor for this entire cruise." The trio collectively turned to look at the source of the (very familiar) voice and Kaito was rather awestruck because he saw the profile of the mystery man from the other day, 

"Kudo Shinichi, Class IV Diving Instructor at your service." The mystery man, _Shinichi_ wore a confident smirk as he dragged along an air tank towards the side of the patio, "We will be going through the basics for today such as breathing exercises, precautionary measures, basic diving maneuvers and the like. After that, if we still have time we could try out snorkeling as the course of this ship is heading for one of the most beautiful coral reefs near Europe and," Shinichi droned on, explaining the basics of their course but Kaito was hearing nothing because hello, they were just a few minutes away from literally jumping off the plank and into the ocean. 

"We'll start with the basics, I'd like for you all to take in deep breaths. When you're underwater, you'll have an oxygen tank with you allowing you to breathe but remember it isn't an infinite supply so be careful to monitor your oxygen tanks when underwater and make sure not to stray too far from the shallows so that I would be able to monitor you guys." Shinichi stated as he motioned towards the tanks at the side that were fastened to the wall to keep them from rolling, "But for today we won't be tackling diving instead we'll be warming up around the shallows." Kaito wasn't even embarrassed at the sigh of relief that left his body as the thought of willingly diving into an endless abyss of fish and water was postponed. 

"Now if you would all just lower yourselves into the water, we can start on the breathing exercises," Maybe he was going to die soon, Kaito mused silently as his shaky legs took him to the edge where he promptly sat down at while the rest nonchalantly hopped over and floated around. "Not gonna join us?" Saguru asked, resting his head on the patio just beside Kaito's sitting figure. "I'm gonna wait until you get bored and decide to leave," He hastily joked out, keeping up character to hide the (obvious) fear he held. "You heard the diving instructor, we won't be going near the fishes anytime soon." Aoko reassured, floating closer to the duo and Kaito wanted to laugh because the finny thing wasn't the only thing he currently feared. 

"We're going to do breathing exercises now," Shinichi called out a few feet away from the patio, Kaito gripped onto the patio for dear life because the ship swayed to the left and the magician almost got launched off of the platform. Aoko and Saguru were fully immersed in the exercise while Kaito just screwed his eyes shut and tried to follow the exercise.

"Now just take deep breaths for another 15 times," Shinichi ordered, swimming to the platform where Kaito currently sat at. "Hey," The sudden voice in front of the man jostled the magician into almost falling forward, indigo eyes snapping open as a tiny squeak escaped his lips.

"Sorry," Shinichi sheepishly apologized as Kaito shot him a weak glare, "First time trying out diving?" The DI asked with a curious gaze, "Somethin' like that," Kaito answered in a gritted mumble as no, he had experience with diving before but it wasn't a pleasant experience and Kaito would very much not reminisce about it or else he'll go into hysteria. "Don't worry, I'll guide you through the entire process." Shinichi reassured with a smile that almost made the magician himself smile.

"Kuroba Kaito," He introduced himself with a small smile, prying his grip on the platform to extend it towards the other man, "Nice to meet you and thank you for the other day," Finally got to thank him.

"Don't worry about it, who in their right mind wouldn't save a drowning man from a pool?" Shinichi answered with a chuckle and Kaito had to do a double take as his jaw almost dropped to ocean level, "You were the one who saved me?!" He shrieked out with a bewildered expression while Shinichi just looked confused. "Yes? Was I not supposed to?" The DI sniffed out with a slight downturn to his lips, "No, no. I just thought that it was Mouri who saved me, Saguru didn't technically tell me who saved me yesterday." Kaito reassured with a small frown watching as Shinichi's azure eyes seemed to darken the slightest bit at his statement.

"Ah yes, your boyfriend has thanked me numerous times." His words sounded just a tad bit bitter as Kaito let out a howl of laughter, falling backwards and squirming because him and Saguru? A _couple_?? 

"Oh gods no," Kaito choked out in between laughs, clutching his sides as Shinichi flushed a bright pink, "We're just friends, gods I've known him since we were kids, I'd never date my brother!" The magician managed to stop the laughs from stumbling out continuously to gaze at the man who was currently submerged up to his nose from embarrassment. 

"What's this talk about dating your brother Kaito?" Saguru hummed out in a questioning tone, one eyebrow quirked up. "He thought I was dating you of all people!" Kaito repeated before bursting into laughter once more but this time loosing his balance and falling off the platform, "Urk," The magician squeaked out, clambering back up onto the platform with a terrified expression and this time it was Saguru's turn to laugh as Kaito looked like a scared kitten. "Uhm," Shinichi spoke up after a moment of suffocating embarrassment from both of the lookalikes. "About the other day," The DI started with some reluctance and Kaito was grateful for that. "Yes, I have a fear of fish, you can laugh now." Kaito answered with a small pout, crossing his arms and screwing his eyes shut ready for whatever ridicule he would get.

"Laugh? Why would I?" Shinichi replied with an incredulous mixed in with slight annoyance(??) Kaito wasn't sure, "Most people laugh at it because it's a stupid fear," Kaito answered with a small frown remembering quite vividly how 8-years old Aoko and Saguru both doubled over laughing like madmen when Kaito confessed his fear of fish to them. 

"It's a valid fear, why would I laugh at someone's fear?" Shinichi fired back once more with a huff before turning to assist some fumbling guests. "That was weird," Saguru piped up with a surprised expression, "Tell me about it," The magician huffed out in confusion as he rocked his feet back and forth, paying attention to the waves he created more than depth of the ocean below him. "Kaito, the water feels really cool here, come join us!!" Aoko exclaimed somewhere far from the duo, "I'll join in a sec!" Kaito called back with a deep inhale, toeing the water and prepping himself. "You look like you're going to war," Saguru commented with a snicker as Kaito lowered himself into the water, taking in short segmented breaths as the water enveloped the magician's body and his feet swing in a failed attempt to find solid ground he could anchor to. "You know what, I think I have cramps." Kaito stammered out, clambering up and onto the platform once more, faking a pained expression as he massaged his side. "Maybe it's because of yesterday's incident, I think I'll skip this one." He added watching as Saguru's expression turned calculating, he was familiar with that expression; the Brit always used it on murder suspects whenever he's trying to find evidence for something. Aoko looked mildly disappointed at Kaito's decision but being the caring friend she was, let it slide and went on with the diving exercises. 

For the rest of the session, Kaito sat by the platform watching as Aoko and Saguru participated in more diving exercises like popping their ears, proper diving and the like. The magician was too focused trying not to fall into hysteria to notice the azure gaze that constantly looked towards his direction.

"That's it for today! Tomorrow we'll resume the session in the afternoon!" Shinichi called out, bringing himself up on the platform. Hair soaking wet yet still defying gravity, Kaito threw two towels at Saguru's direction who distributed it between him and Aoko. "Maybe you need to rest for a bit? We can go back to our rooms you know." Aoko offered while drying her hair off, Saguru simply sat down beside Kaito and let out a low hum. "Maybe he was just checking out the DI." He teased out and Kaito spluttered, choking on his own spit as he tried to hack up the spit that came back. 

"Fuck no!" Kaito vehemently denied, making it known that he would not hesitate to drown Saguru if he spoke another word. The detective seemed to have no self-preservation instincts as he continued talking, "Really? I could hear Cupid's arrow burying itself shaft deep into your heart when Kudo came in," Kaito did try to drown Saguru but the blonde tried to drag Kaito down with him so he had to stop. 

"I'm straight, I confessed to Aoko in our third year of high school. Have you forgotten?!" Kaito shouted out and Saguru seemed to enjoy reminiscing about Kaito's epic failure of a confession during their high school years. "I remember and that was years ago, we're all 21 right now and who knows if your sexuality's still the same," The detective fired back with a self-satisfactory smirk and Kaito was just dumbfounded because he considered himself straight even though Shinichi _did_ have very defined muscles littering his arms and back, and his cheekbones were sharp enough to cut and his voice had the right amount of vibrato in it that it was borderline sultry and no, Kaito was straight and was just thinking of things objectively. 

"I'm straight, I want to marry a perfect _nadeshiko_ , settle down, have 2 kids who I will teach magic tricks to until the day my hands wither." Kaito explained and Saguru wasn't buying it but dropped the topic in favor of taking a shower, Kaito followed in suit despite being completely dry and not salty. 

"We're free for the rest of the afternoon, Aoko's spending time in the indoor pool, I'll be going on a movie marathon, you have free reign," Saguru replied after an awkward shower right beside Kaito (the stalls were those weird stalls that only covered the body and the shower and heads of the showeree were shown and Saguru was a freaking giant and if he so much as looked at Kaito's stall direction [which was where the soap rested at] he would see Kaito's soul and spirit in its barest form which did happen, twice) and promptly stalked away from the magician who now wore a simple white button up shirt underneath a black vest and a denim jacket. He was about to head to the casino when a voice called out to him.

"Kuroba-kun?" Shinichi called out, with a new attire consisting of a casual t-shirt and jeans and Kaito was definitely not staring at his hips where his jeans clung tightly. 

"Yes?" The magician answered, tearing his gaze from wherever he was looking. "I just got off my shift, thought I should call out to you." The diving instructor said with a sheepish grin as he approached in slow strides, "I wanted to apologize for earlier, I sort of pushed my boundaries and might have made you uncomfortable." Shinichi apologized with well-hidden guilt that Kaito had to decipher first because Shinichi made it believable that what he had just said was a passing comment. 

"No worries, I'm used to pushing boundaries." Kaito replied with a grin, shaking his head and sparing a few more reassuring words. "Where are you heading to?" The man piped up and Kaito pointed to the casino, "I was thinking of asking some dealers for hand tricks and maybe I could fill in as a dealer since I've got nothing else to do." The magician explained, something in Shinichi's eyes lit up at the word 'trick' as he spoke in a curious way, "Oh really? Are you a part time casino dealer?" Kaito shook his head and did an over exaggerated bow to poof up a card which held Kaito's name, job and contact number.

"I'm a full time magician~!" Kaito introduced, handing Shinichi the card. "I see..." Shinichi answered as if he was thinking of something else, "Do you usually keep confetti and cards up your sleeve wherever you go or is it just on business days?" He asked once more and it dawned to Kaito that the man was deciphering his tricks, the thought made a toothy smirk appear on Kaito's face at the unspoken challenge at hand. 

"I keep cards with me wherever I go just in case I meet a job opportunity," Kaito answered before making a show of rolling up his own sleeves before grabbing Shinichi's waist to reveal yet another card, "But sleeves aren't the only pockets I've got," He added with a foxy smirk, watching as Shinichi's eyes flared up with challenge and childlike happiness. 

"Care to accompany me to the casino?" Kaito asked with a bow, unrolling his sleeves and flittering over to the glittering entrance. Shinichi seemed to follow quickly as he was never a step more behind Kaito, they landed on an empty poker table with Kaito manning the table and Shinichi seated on one of the many stools. 

"Welcome to my magic show," Kaito started with a bow, discarding his jacket and rolling up his sleeves halfway up, "Please do watch carefully," He taunted with a half-smirk as he fished out a deck of cards from his pocket and scattered it all over the table to show that there were no hidden tricks or mechanisms. "Feel free to sift through the cards," He pridefully remarked as Shinichi ran his hands through the deck of cards, after the diving instructor's had his fill of investigating, Kaito collected the cards and began to rifle through them. "My magic tricks don't come cheap you know," He stated with a hum, deftly rifling the cards from one hands to the other, making arcs and shapes as he went. He slyly inserted a folded rose in between the the 2 and 3 of Hearts just as Shinichi momentarily broke out of concentration to reply to his statement.

"I know," Shinichi answered, clear blue eyes never leaving the magician for more than a second, "Kuroba Kaito, Top Magician for 3 years and counting, always fully-booked and renowned worldwide. You placed a folded rose between two cards right now didn't you?" Kaito let a shudder run down his spine as the man saw through his simple tricks, excitement was sent coursing through his veins as Kaito nodded, "That I did." He agreed, holding out the 2 and 3 of Hearts only for them to explode into confetti and reveal not just one rose but also a sunflower and a small dove. "Do you really keep doves hidden underneath your suit?" Shinichi snorted out as the dove cooed and tip-toed around the table. "How mean, I don't treat my pets like that, right Ichi~?" Kaito crooned out as the dove flapped her tiny wings and landed on his messy hair, to which the magician flipped a card around to reveal a drawing of a top hat. "Oh what's this? Ichi, do you want to go back home?" Kaito asked in practiced surprise as he shook the card with the top hat around before making an actual top hat appear, placing it on top of his head, he counted to three before taking it off and holding it out for Shinichi to see.

The instructor peered into the hat only to find a single white feather inside instead of an entire dove, "How....?" Shinichi trailed off as he drifted into his thoughts seemingly dumbfounded at Kaito's magic trick. "That's a secret," Kaito chuckled out as he patted down his top hat and literally folded it into a tiny cube, "You don't have to guess it, you know. Just enjoy the magic~." Kaito suggested after a minute of silence, "Where's the fun in that?" Shinichi huffed back, deep in his thoughts. "It's better to challenge things and find out what happens behind it than just sitting still and ogling about things." He added and Kaito had to laugh.

"You sound like Saguru, are you some detective or something?" Kaito asked as he prepared his next trick, 

"Used to be," Shinichi answered with a small grimace, "My father works for the police force and I used to be an amateur detective around my high school days but my mother saw how all the murders was weighing me down and decided that I should pursue another career." Kaito did remember reading one or two newspaper articles about a Kudo Shinichi solving a case some years back.

"How'd you end up as a diving instructor?" Kaito asked in genuine surprise as his hands fumbled to untie the knot around his next trick.

"That was around my second year of high school, my father took me with him to revisit Hawaii and I got to go scuba diving with him, I found the activity highly calming as all I can hear is the sound of silence and the water around me and I took a penchant to diving, took courses, regularly dived and here I am a diving instructor." Shinichi explained and Kaito didn't understand half of what he said because diving was _calming_? Someone could actually _like_ constantly being submerged in the deep waters? 

"I see...." Kaito trailed off with a twitch as he quickly moved on with his next trick which involved an apple, more confetti, glitters and a handkerchief. 

"How about you? How did you pick up magic tricks?" Shinichi asked as he payed close attention to the movement of Kaito's hands where he had taken out a pure white, semi-transparent handkerchief.

"It sort of runs through the family, my mother met my father while he was performing in Paris and around that time my mum was in sort of a stump with her own career as some business tycoon was using her to gain money for underground trafficking and my father witnessed one of their transactions and put them in jail, taking my mother with him back to Japan to perform together." Kaito explained as he nonchalantly pulled the handkerchief from his closed fist to reveal a small explosion of glitter and confetti, underneath it was a bright red apple. "Where?" Shinichi asked himself as his eyebrow quirked up in question.

"Then I was born so my mother took a leave from the show business but my father still continued...." Kaito trailed off, faltering in his usually seamless performance, "He died in a bayside fire during a magic show." The magician breathed out as he halted his movements. "Me and my mother survived but he didn't." He added with much difficulty because it was unfair, his father should be alive right now.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Shinichi replied albeit a little mechanically as a sudden tense atmosphere fell on the two men, 

"Leaving the depressing stuff aside, pay attention to my next trick~." Kaito chirped out as he executed his next magic trick, watching as Shinichi perked up and once again paid full attention to the magician and they continued for the next few hours until an actual staff kicked the two out because they needed the table for a real game of poker. 

"I had fun today," Shinichi stated as the two exited the casino, "Your magic tricks were amazing and admittedly I only solved half of them," There was a sense of bashfulness to Shinichi's tone that Kaito found rather endearing.

"You solved half of them?! Damn, I got to improve! I swear you won't be able to guess all of them the next time I show my tricks to you!" Kaito exclaimed with a pout, crossing his arms and started to plan new tricks to show the instructor.

"I'll look forward to that," Shinichi answered with a light chuckle as the two walked in a languid pace towards Kaito's room, "I'll see you tomorrow?" Shinichi called out as they arrived at Kaito's room far too soon for either of their liking. 

"Yeah, tomorrow." Kaito agreed with a grin, unlocking his room and taking a step in. He bade the instructor goodnight before closing his door and promptly flopping onto the bed in a tired fashion because damn, he hasn't given his magic tricks his all for a while and the sudden amp in difficulty of audience caught the magician off guard but nonetheless, Kaito went to sleep with a stupid smile pasted on his face.

☁︎☁︎☁︎

Kaito woke up to a sudden jolt of his bed, flinging him out and onto the ground. The intercom rang out and declared that they were going on a brief stop over before making the journey back.

Cussing out various colorful words Kaito stood up and practically bolted towards the bathroom to take a quick shower and prepare a small bag for him to take, while in the shower he could faintly hear the intercom stating their current whereabouts. _Costa La Luz_ or something like that, by the time Kaito finished taking a shower the ship was far more stable than before and he guessed that they must have been anchored to the dock already.

Making his way to Saguru's room he knocked a few times only to meet with silence as the Brit didn't seem to be inside of his room and neither was Aoko since she left the door open and Kaito had to lock it being the good friend that he was.

"Where in the world are they?" Kaito wondered out as his legs carried him to the outer deck where he could see land and people filing out of the cruise. "Where are we?" He asked again, leaning against the railing as he surveyed his surroundings.

"We're in Spain right now," Shinichi responded from behind him giving the magician a mini-heart attack, 

"Gods, Shinichi. Wear a bell or something!" Kaito exclaimed with a hand pressed against his heart, "Spain you say?" He parroted with much interest, "I've never been to Spain before, usually I'd be in the neighboring country of France." Kaito stated with a noncommittal shrug because it was true that Spain was an hour's trip away from France but he's never gotten the chance to visit the country. 

"Seriously?" Shinichi quipped in genuine surprise, "You've never been to Spain before?" He asked slowly and Kaito nodded with a hum and a 'Never ever'.

"Hakuba and Nakamori left earlier and told me to look after you," Shinichi suddenly changed topics and Kaito found himself stuttering to reply, 

"I'm not a baby!" Kaito let out an offended gasp, "They don't think so," Shinichi sang out with a snicker before taking Kaito's hand and it was warm, sweaty and a little wrinkled from an early dive but Kaito found the contact very relaxing.

"Let's go explore then, I'll be your tour guide for a day." He offered while tugging the magician down the stairs and out of the ship, "Consider it as payment for yesterday's magic show," He added but Kaito was too busy marveling at the solid ground that currently rested at his feet to care.

"Land!" The magician cried out like a lunatic, feeling far more relieved to see solid ground than anything he's ever felt before. "I love you!" Kaito exclaimed inducing stares from onlookers and passersby, "Um, Kuroba?" Shinichi piped up after minutes of ground worship from Kaito, "There's somewhere I'd like to take you to and we'll miss the train if you keep kissing the ground?" Kaito had to be pried from the ground by Shinichi before their train left the station.

Now on a train, Kaito peered out the window with much curiosity as the scenery swept by and changed, having no idea where they were going Kaito felt rather excited to see this mystery place that they were heading to.

"So what's this place like?" Kaito asked after 30 minutes of comfortable silence,

"It's lively, colorful and fun, I thought it would be something you'd really like." Shinichi answered sheepishly with a grin, "Oh? How would you know what I like?" Kaito teased out.

"I asked Hakuba about some stuff you like earlier," Shinichi replied hurriedly and Kaito had to let out a chuckle at the awkwardness of his tone.

Another 15 minutes later, the train finally stopped and they reached a city called _'Seville'_ and one step out of the train station told Kaito why Shinichi had picked this specific city for Kaito.

"Welcome," Shinichi started taking a step into the streets that were brightened by numerous vibrant designs, _"To Sevilla's Spring Fair!"_

The streets were filled with beautiful women dressed in vibrant, frilly dresses, men rode horses in sharp costumes while the horses had cute motifs pinned to their reigns, the streets were lively as music played and the sound of tambourines chimed with it, old men were drinking sherry by the sides, before them stood a grand arch painted yellow, white and blue and further on were multiple stalls where people merry-made. 

"This is amazing!" Kaito breathed out, slightly overwhelmed at the sudden festivity as he felt the familiar thrum of rush course through his veins and he was off.

Dragging Shinichi along, the magician let out a loud laugh as he ran around like a kid on the eve of Christmas. "Those are really beautiful~!" Kaito stated, pointing at a bouquet of carnations, Shinichi let out a soft chuckle at Kaito's childish antics and went to buy a single flower. 

"Here," Shinichi whispered, tucking the flower behind Kaito's ear causing the magician to blush a light pink, "I'm not a girl, Kudo." He argued but made no moves in taking the flower off. 

The two explored the festive grounds, eating churros and taking sips of sherry every now and then. "That is what you call a femme fatale," Kaito drawled out as they lounged at an outdoor cafe, pointing towards a sexily dressed woman that look suspiciously like Akako if it weren't for the happy expression that she had, "Haha I bet you could pull that look off," Shinichi answered with a sip of his espresso, Kaito batted his eyelashes and wore a sexy smirk.

"You think so, Mr. Instructor~?" He let his voice drag out in a low purr, indulging himself as the coffee that Shinichi drank went up his nostrils. Kaito fell back in laughter as the man choked and hacked up the liquid, "You are insufferable," Shinichi rasped out as he called for a waiter to serve them regular water. 

"Insufferably Lovable, you mean." Kaito added with a triumphant smirk watching as Shinichi did his second spit-take of the day, "You should just shut up," Shinichi moaned out as he wiped the wet stains on his shirt.

"Shut me up then, Mr. Instructor~." The magician fired back in delight as he took his churro dipped halfway with chocolate and swallowed half of it, Shinichi looked like he promptly died at Kaito's joke as he gave up on trying to drink any type of liquid instead he opted to let his head fall on the glass table with a painful sounding 'thump'.

"Earth to Shinichi?" The magician laughed out, poking the said male's head. 

"Let's get a move on," Shinichi answered with a jolt, standing up and leaving some euros on the table as payment before standing and dragging Kaito down the street and into a dancing crowd where they played upbeat and fast music.

"Let's dance, Shinichi~!" Kaito exclaimed, taking a pose that looked uncannily like he was about to do a flamenco and some locals seemed to notice as they approached the duo.

 _"Castañeulas para los amantes!"_ A middle aged man exclaimed, handing the two pairs of castanets and Kaito didn't understand why Shinichi suddenly blushed a deep shade of red, "What did he say?" Kaito asked as he held his castanets, "Nothing, he said nothing," Shinichi mumbled out.

 _"Muchas gracias~."_ Kaito thanked in his wonky, accented Spanish before returning to look Shinichi in the eye with a certain flare in his indigo eyes, "Come and dance with me, Shinichi~." The magician purred out before starting a fast paced dance that was certainly a flamenco, Shinichi stumbled and missed a few beats but for a beginner the instructor wasn't so bad. 

"You aren't so bad at this," Kaito called out through the loud music as he twirled around the man, "You too." Shinichi mouthed against pants as he twisted and thumped his feet to the rhythm, they danced together for the next few songs, leaving feather touches on one another as they twirled around each other. 

They didn't notice the crowd parting and spectating the two, whispering in rapid Spanish but Shinichi was able to catch a few things. Namely, some people recognizing the magician which wasn't really hard because the man had the messiest hair known to man. 

After their third song, Kaito had to stop to rest because his feet were starting to ache. Instead, he opted to join the musicians, borrowing a tambourine and shaking it to the beat of the song.

"Let's dance, everybody!" Kaito called out in English as he shook the tambourine, hitting it with his other palm to the beat of the music, leading a myriad of people in one wacky impromptu dance mob. Shinichi rested by the side watching as Kaito carried on with his showman traits, watching as the sun gently hit the magician's hair, lighting it into a soft chestnut brown color and his indigo eyes seemed bluer in the sunlight compared too the slightly more purple in the nighttime, all in all he looked _beautiful_ not that he wasn't beautiful during their first meeting(?) technically only Shinichi got a good look at Kaito as the magician was dragged away by a certain Brit.

"Okay, I'm exhausted." Kaito breathed out after an entire hour of playing the tambourine, collapsing on a seat next to Shinichi's.

"You know, I'm sure your father wouldn't want you brooding over his death." Shinichi spoke up all of a sudden.

"Excuse me!?" The magician shrilly replied.

"I'm sure he wouldn't want his only son living in his shadow and regretting that day," Shinichi repeated with a lace of seriousness, threading his hands together. 

"And besides," Shinichi started with a dopey smile that almost made Kaito melt, "A smiling Kaito is a lot better than a frowning one," Kaito didn't know how to respond to his statement as a lump formed in his throat and maybe he was developing arrhythmia.

"Hope you still have some energy left because we only have an hour left before the cruise leaves," Shinichi informed again out of the blue, watching as Kaito jumped up with his jaw slacked down. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" The magician shrieked out before breaking into a mad dash towards the station.

Shinichi wouldn't tell him but the instructor didn't have the heart to stop Kaito when he looked so happy performing and enjoying the festival. 

Thankfully, they made it.

With only a minute to spare before the cruise lifted the walkway, Kaito wasn't sure why he was in such a hurry to board the cruise once again but something told him it was because of the man beside him.

Collapsing against the familiar white walls of the ship's interior, Kaito allowed himself a few minutes to panting and gasping before turning to look at a Saguru who in turn looked entertained at the sight in front of him.

"Looks like someone went on a fulfilling date," The blonde snickered out as Kaito stood straight and pointedly tried not to look at Shinichi's hand that was currently wrapped around his, Saguru didn't pass up the opportunity though as his maroon gaze remained fixated on the joined limbs. 

"Sorry!" Shinichi squeaked out, letting go of Kaito's hand and the magician had to hold back a groan because he was in fact enjoying the warmth of the other's hand.

"I'll go?" Shinichi stated but it sounded more like a question as neither of the two wanted to leave the other's presence anytime soon, "Yeah..." Kaito agreed noncommittally but Saguru wasn't having any of their melodramas.

"Why don't you accompany us to dinner, Kudo?" Saguru offered, physically biting his lips to stop a laugh as he watched the diving instructor perk up at his offer, blue eyes seemingly lighting up with happiness. "Yes, if you don't mind." The instructor stammered out with a nod of his head and they were off to the buffet.

The staff looked ready to kill Kaito as he took his 5th plate full of expensive looking chocolate pastries and Saguru with his 10th cup of Earl Grey and Shinichi was getting glares from female and male coworkers alike because Uhm, not everyone gets to sit with a magician like Kuroba Kaito and a detective, doubling as an underwear model Hakuba Saguru.

"Is it just me or are we getting hated right now?" Aoko asked unrepentantly as she inhaled her 15th flan in the past 30 minutes, "I dunno." Kaito shrugged as he sat back down, popping a chocolate bonbon in his mouth and Shinichi had to wonder how a pile of desserts was considered as 'dinner' for the trio.

"They're probably hating on Kaito for raiding their chocolate pantry," Saguru sniped with a sip of his tea.

"Dude, have mercy on your bladder." Kaito flatly remarked as he watched the Brit fill his 11th cup of tea whilst spreading butter on a scone.

"How was your day, Instructor Kudo?" Aoko chirped out with a bright smile as she called for another flan (this time with strawberry syrup and cranberry purée), the waiter looked ready to strangle the assistant as he brought over the dessert. 

"We're closing in 15 minutes, my lady," The waiter informed and Saguru brought out his antique watch out, "We should still have another hour, your buffet ends at 9 correct? It's currently 8 and I'd like for another pot of tea please, with a cinnamon and lime infusion?" 

Shinichi had the right to be slightly afraid at the expression that appeared on the waiter's face as he went to fetch the steaming hot tea. 

30 flans, 9 plates of chocolate pastries and 10 pots of tea later the group finally left the buffet much to the staffs delight. No seriously, Shinichi could hear the victory cries when they left the buffet area. 

"That was yummy," Aoko sighed out, patting her miraculously flat belly. "I could have gone for another round of tea and biscuits," Saguru said forlornly with a shake of his head.

"I want more chocolate," Kaito stated childishly and Shinichi's view found its way to the other's mouth which had chocolate around the corner of his lips and the instructor found himself reaching out and wiping the chocolate away. Retracting his hand, Shinichi gave his thumb a kitten lick before letting out a small hum in appreciation to the slightly bitter, slightly sweet taste of chocolate. "Yummy," The instructor stated nonchalantly as Kaito's cheeks flared up in a deep red color. 

"You Casanova!" Kaito exclaimed with an accusing point of his finger, hiding behind the smaller female beside him. Saguru could only smirk as he made a sound that sounded very much like the whizzing noise an arrow makes when it hits a target. 

"I still have to help out Ran in the indoor pool," Shinichi looked like he just remembered it as his eyes widened because he had promised his childhood friend that he'd help clean the indoor pool while the guests were away. 

"No need to worry," Aoko cooed out with a slightly triumphant smirk, "I helped her clean it today," The lady stated with a proud puff to her flat chest and Shinichi ignored the huge emphasis she put on the word 'I'.

"Thank you." The instructor sheepishly said with a bow of his head, how could he forget about that? Earlier he was about to go to the indoor pool but then he saw Kaito and he ended up dragging Kaito to Seville and yeah, everything went down the drain when he saw Kaito.

"It's pretty late," Saguru informed with a peek at his watch, "We should retire for the day, I'm sure you're tired from partying in Seville Kaito," The blonde added, placing a hand on the magician's back ever so casually and no, Shinichi wasn't staring. 

"I am," Kaito agreed with a small yawn as he let Saguru guide him to his room, indigo eyes half-lidded from tiredness. 

"See you tomorrow, Instructor Kudo~." Aoko chimed out with a wave as she followed the other two towards their rooms but Shinichi's gaze remained fixated on the other two males as a feeling that felt treacherously like jealousy blossomed at the pit of his stomach.

Just what was happening to the diving instructor?

Later that night, Kaito made a revelation that he had called Shinichi by his first name for the first time ever and he hoped that it didn't have any implications.

☁︎☁︎☁︎

For the first time throughout the entire cruise, Kaito woke up with no interruptions. Just a magician and his bed, no courtesy calls or sudden jerky movements.

The mere act of waking up like so gave Kaito a giddy feeling because things seemed like they were finally going in his favor as the captain announced that they were en route back to Japan and in just a few days Kaito would be permanently back on land and the thought delighted the magician very much if it weren't for the weird depressed, foreboding feeling he felt at the thought of the cruise ending. 

After they dock, Kaito would resume his career and carry on with life (with added caution about pranks) and he'll live life looking back on the cruise as a fond/horrifying memory of his golden days and he'll remember Shinichi as a Good Samaritan who helped him and the thought of not seeing Shinichi again shouldn't have pained the magician so much because Shinichi was a staff of the cruise and he was just helping Kaito as accordance to the job descriptions of the workers, yeah he could believe that.

He took a long quiet shower, cranking the heat up enough to make the bathroom fog and produce steam. His muscles ached slightly from the activities he underwent over the past few days, the hot water pelting down his skin alleviated it a bit and Kaito almost fell asleep from the warmth that enveloped his body. 

He had to drag himself out of the shower before he fell asleep, yawning as he shrugged on a simple white sweatshirt and recycled his denim jacket from the other day, toed on his beaten up converse low cuts and exited the suite. 

By the entrance of their rooms stood Saguru, leaning against a wall with his eyes closed. Normally, at the display of weakness Kaito would have jumped on him with a prank but the magician's learned his place.

"Glad to see that you're improving." Saguru uncrossed his arms and stalked over to the magician with a satisfied grin, "I was starting to think that this entire cruise didn't faze your persona but I digress, you _do_ know how to grow up," 

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Kaito had a pout as the magician stalked over to the breakfast buffet (passing by the terrified waiters and waitresses) towards a waiting Aoko who's gotten her 'appetizer' consisting of pancakes, topped with bacon and maple syrup, French toast drenched in milk and more syrup, hash browns thankfully with ketchup and more flan. 

"Breakfast for champions, Aoko?" Kaito asked while taking a seat, "Don't be silly Kaito, this is a light breakfast." Aoko retorted with a huff, slicing the pancake in half, folding it into quarters and chomping down. 

"True," He agreed solemnly before helping himself some chocolate chip pancakes.

"We have diving lessons today," Saguru mentioned halfway through their 'light' breakfast and Kaito promptly choked on his third pancake.

"You sure it isn't tomorrow?" The magician thumped his chest, dislodging the food that got stuck on his windpipe. "Positive," The Brit answered with a nod.

"Ran told me that she'll be helping since we'll be going snorkeling!" Aoko squealed out and Kaito was fairly certain that Saguru's porcelain cup cracked a bit. "Snorkeling? Oh yes, Kudo did mention that the route we're taking has the best cinematic view and coral reefs." The Brit looked eerily calm as he discussed with Aoko and maybe it was just Kaito who was loosing his head.

"We're adjoining them later after in the afternoon, I can't wait to see the coral reefs~!!" Yeah, it was just Kaito who felt like dying.

After an unappetizing breakfast, Kaito slunk back to his room and actually wrote down a will just in case, you know he panics and drowns sometime during the course of the snorkeling session. It turned out to be a 5 page long essay about all his life regrets featuring 'Not being able to get a love life' and 'Still haven't figured out what my sexuality is'. 

He threw the entire note pad out of the window after rereading it. 

"This is stupid," Kaito mumbled to himself, sinking back against his bed. "I just have to get over these stupid fears, it's just the ocean for gods' sake!" He tried, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, thinking of the ocean. 

It's blue, free and calm. Kaito imagined himself floating at the very bottom, with sea creatures minding their own business but it felt suffocating, it felt hot, too _hot_. 

With a gasp, Kaito clung onto the white sheets, trembling and letting out faint whimpers. 

He couldn't get over his fears, not today, not in a million years.

☁︎☁︎☁︎

Later that day, Kaito found himself following Saguru down to the patio where a mini cruiser was currently docked at.

Compared to last time there were even less people, namely now it was just Kaito, Saguru, Aoko, Ran and Shinichi. The other guest must have decided to stick to the indoor pool like sane people, sadly Saguru and Aoko weren't sane.

"We're just going snorkeling so you don't have to wear an entire body suit, we're gonna stay on the shallows." Ran informed with a chirp, coming over to greet the trio (mostly Aoko as Ran placed a very casual hand on Aoko's bare shoulder), "Mhm!" Aoko agreed with a bright smile, wearing a strawberry pink one piece with a cute ribbon on the chest. 

"What a relief, the body suit was rather uncomfortable," Saguru let out a sigh of relief as he stripped to just swimming trunks, only Kaito remained in casual clothes.

"Um, Kaito?" Aoko questioned, walking on the thin plank over to the cruiser, "You gonna get changed?" 

"Yeah," Kaito gave her a stiff nod before stalking off to the changing room, he came back in a simple drawstring swimming trunks and a white sleeveless jacket. 

With much difficulty, he walked down the plank and joined the group by the cockpit where Shinichi powered the engine and off they went. "I wonder if we'll see clown fishes~?" Aoko giggled excitedly, gossiping in hushed whispers with Ran.

"Has she gotten laid yet?" Kaito shrilly whispered with no attempts at lowering his voice, trying to pick up a semblance of joking to lighten up his otherwise resigned mood. "Not yet." Saguru answered in an equally loud tone. Aoko shot them a warning glare followed by a puff of her cheeks before she looked back to Ran.

After a 5 minute ride, Shinichi anchored the boat and went to ready their light equipment. "One snorkeling mask each, stay close to the shallows and don't stray to far so that me and Ran can look after you guys." The diving instructor explained, handing out the necessary equipment to the three. 

"I'll go with Ran!" Aoko exclaimed, hooking her arm with said swimming instructor as the two jumped off the cruiser and into the clear waters. "Boys with boys, girls with girls." Saguru chanted, pushing himself off the edge following the girls into the coral reefs. 

"Are you going to join us?" Shinichi asked, sitting by the edge and waiting for Kaito to follow. "The fish are harmless, they don't bite and sharks don't prowl this area." The instructor attempted to soothe Kaito's anxieties but he didn't understand, it wasn't just fishes he was worried about.

"You go ahead," Kaito answered, making no moves to put on his gear. "I'll catch up in a while." 

"Then I'm staying." Shinichi decided stubbornly, crossing his arms and sitting still. "I'll wait for you and we'll go together." Kaito wanted to cry because Shinichi would have to wait an eternity and maybe even more just to get Kaito in the deep waters. 

After minutes of silence with Shinichi's gaze boring holes through the magician's body, Kaito gave a tiny sigh and shoved the mouthpiece into his mouth and sat beside Shinichi. "I'll drop if you drop." Kaito mumbled against the breathing tube, watching as Shinichi's smile grew wide. "Together then," The instructor placed a warm hand on Kaito's back and pushed the two of them forward and Kaito found himself submerged in the clearest water he's ever seen.

A feet below them were rock formations, corals and tiny fishes, colorful and squirmy. Kaito's hand unconsciously found Shinichi's, gripping on like it was his lifeline. 

Shinichi was patient, he stayed by Kaito's side as the magician inched closer to the aquatic life forms, his azure gaze offering unspoken support as Kaito made it to a feet away from the small fishes and for the first time in his entire life, Kaito didn't avert his eyes from the fishes and gods was he so stupid to have feared them for so long. 

The fishes were small and energetic, encircling Kaito and occasionally rubbing against his bare skin. It felt ticklish and light but not harmful, Kaito found himself sporting a silly grin as he chased after a small clownfish. The coral reef was colorful, pale pink, maroon red, white and beige, it housed many more tiny fishes and Kaito wanted to find each and everyone of them, Shinichi floated beside him matching Kaito's expression with his own grin as the two swam around together and all was perfect.

Kaito believed that maybe he could get over his fear, especially with Shinichi by his side and with the fishes being cute and shy. 

Until, a current ran past them. Separating the two and Kaito's weightless body drifted away, the magician panicked as the current swept him away further and further from Shinichi. The sudden impact of the current caused Kaito to gasp, losing his mouthpiece and struggling to breath, choking and flailing for air.

Memories of a past he never wanted to remember resurfaced, causing pure terror and fear to spread throughout Kaito's entire being as his lungs slowly burned out of oxygen. He felt his conscience slowly slipping away and maybe he shouldn't have thrown away his will because this might be it, he'll die just like he was supposed to all those years ago and he didn't mind, it didn't hurt to die surrounded by the things you feared the most as there was a sense of closure to Kaito's long time fears.

He could vaguely see pale arms wrapping themselves around his form and hauling him up onto the cruiser. "Kaito, breathe!" He could hear a voice from a distance, he wanted to reply but his throat was clogged with saltwater. He couldn't breathe no matter how hard he tried, all he could manage were strangled noises in the back of his throat. 

The next thing he felt was a wet yet warm sensation on his lips followed by sharp pushes to his chest, expelling the water that he had inhaled. Kaito let out a choked gasp as he felt air enter his lungs, jolting him forward and onto the warm chest of a blurry man.

"You're safe, we're here." The voice whispered out, one hand running its fingers through Kaito's wet hair while the other looped itself around the magician's waist, "You're safe Kaito, you're safe." He repeated as Kaito let out a choked noise, feeling fear grip onto him like a vice. "Kaito, focus on my voice, don't go into shock. Kaito." The magician was snapped out of his hysteria when he finally registered the voice that came from above him, it was Shinichi. Shinichi was there with him, they were on a boat above the water, he was safe.

"Take us back," Kaito whispered out in a shaky voice as the warmth that was one Kudo Shinichi moved to leave his side but Kaito held on, "Please stay," His grip was shaking with fear, Kaito felt pathetic but right now he was nothing but a child remembering events that were better off forgotten for good.

The ride back was quick and Kaito was rushed to the infirmary for the second time throughout the entire cruise and he wasn't sure if he should be relieved to see the white interior of the infirmary or to feel sick at the constant sway of the ship because Kaito felt like how he felt the first time he boarded the cruise. 

Aoko stayed by his side, stubbornly refusing to move an inch from the visitor's chair as she watched Kaito's face turn into various shades of blue, purple and green as he tossed and turned. Eventually, Ran managed to coax the lady and Kaito took the chance to stagger out of the white room and into his room where he promptly barrel-locked, key locked and every lock possible the door and flushed the finny things down the toilet, draining the tank and filling it with other stuff. He reenforced the black tarps peeling off the wall and after all was finished, Kaito sat on his bed with his back against the headboard, head resting on his knees that were tucked under his arms. 

"Please let this be over, I can't stand it anymore." Kaito whispered again and again as the constant sway of the ship threatened to send the magician into an abyss of insanity. 

He stayed like so for the next couple of hours, taking deep breaths and attempting to calm himself. Aoko and Saguru had come to break down the magician's door but found it hard as Kaito made sure to make it impregnable, Ran had stopped by as per request of Aoko to try and coax Kaito with an afternoon buffet full of chocolate but to no avail. The only one who hadn't tried was Shinichi and Kaito felt a stab of pain different from the ache he felt from the earlier snorkeling session at the thought of an uncaring Shinichi.

Tiredness overtook his body as Kaito rocked himself back and forth, lulling himself into a hopefully sleepless dream. He didn't know that he'd regret falling asleep just a few hours later.

☁︎☁︎☁︎

He woke up to a large explosion, thunderous and resounding. It sounded like someone released a canon and Kaito was immediately jolted awake from his uncomfortable sleep.

The sirens rang as the intercom blared with the captain barking out words half-incoherent as the screams and shouts of people drowned out the voice from the speaker. 

_"We ask all of you to remain calm and follow the evacuation plan, gas tanks down by the engine have exploded due to exposure to an outside fire starter and have damaged the south wing near the room quarters, we have contacted help and we as that you all board the evacuation boats to safety. I repeat, gas tanks have exploded and have damaged the south wing, currently it is on fire but we will start to sink in approximately 1 minute and 15 seconds so please follow our staff and evacuate to the boats."_

South wing? Wasn't that where Kaito was currently at? 

"I need to leave." He said with urgency, springing up to his feet and moving towards the door but then the ship suddenly tipped backwards pinning the magician against the wall. 

_"We are starting to sink, everyone please evacuate to the rescue boats. I repeat, evacuate to the rescue boats!"_

Kaito let out a humorless laugh as he staggered towards the door, fighting against gravity as the ship was currently tipping backwards at an exponentially fast rate. He managed to grab onto the doorknob and he thought he could get out but a myriad of locks blocked the magician's path to safety and cold dread settled on his entire being as he fumbled to unlock each and every one of them. "Dammit!" Kaito exclaimed as he felt water pooling at his feet, meaning that outside the lower quarters were already sunken and it was only a matter of time before his entire room would be submerged too and Kaito really didn't want to die today.

"Kaito!" Someone called out from outside his room, Kaito couldn't stop the cry of relief that left his mouth when he heard the familiar voice of Shinichi.

"Shinichi!" He responded, fumbling with his keys and ended up dropping them, watching as gravity pulled them back and disappeared underneath the bed.

"You have to help me, Kaito. You have to unlock at half of those locks so that I can break the door down, do you understand?" Shinichi spoke in a rushed, alarmed tone as Kaito noted the fast pace of the water that seeped through crack of the door. 

The magician tried his best, he took out his pins and tried with his hands shaking making it very hard to unlock all the locks. "I can handle myself Shinichi, get on the boat." He called out, hating how his voice cracked at the end of his sentence.

"I'm not leaving you," Shinichi retorted with a stubbornness that Kaito wished he didn't have, "You'll die if you stay for any longer!" Kaito screamed out, unlocking the second out of ten locks. 

"Then I'll die," The instructor replied with finality that almost made Kaito cry in frustration, "You're stupid, you aren't supposed to go and die for a stranger you just met a few days ago," Kaito let his head fall against the door as his hands shook far too much for him to thread the pins into the keyhole.

"I may have met you just a few days ago but it only took a second to realize you're worth dying for," Shinichi spoke in a soft tone, close to Kaito's ear and the magician knew he was leaning against the door just like him. 

"You're insufferable," Kaito choked out against a soft sob as the water rises ever so slowly up to his ankles and he knew outside it was even higher, "You're an insufferable idiot," He repeated with a thump of his head against the door.

"Insufferably Lovable, that is." Shinichi replied with a hum and Kaito couldn't decide whether to laugh or to cry because right at that moment, he didn't feel fear for himself but instead fear for the man on the other side of the door. 

"I've been meaning to say this for a while now but I love you, Kaito," The trembling of Kaito's hands momentarily halted as Shinichi continued on, "I love you ever since I saw you at the Aquarium, I love you ever since I saved you from the pool, I love you ever since I took you to Seville and I don't mind drowning here if it means staying with you," 

Kaito could register the faint noises that escaped him as guilt settled in. What did he do to deserve someone like Shinichi? "I don't mind dying with you either," Kaito replied with a crooked smile as his grip on the pins slackened having accepted his own fate but Shinichi had a choice, he could live, he could abandon Kaito but he chose to stay because Kaito mattered more than his self and Kaito had to balance that out.

"I'm not letting you die there," Kaito whispered, hands curling into a tight fist as his indigo eyes flared up with rekindled determination. "I'm getting you out of here," Kaito made quick work of the next locks, hands trembling just the slightest bit but tame compared to earlier. 

"Step away from the door Kaito," Shinichi answered with equal determination as Kaito clung to the side, a few moments passed before Shinichi came ramming in, I hinging the door with strength Kaito didn't know he possessed. 

Along with Shinichi came a flood of water, filling the room with salty liquid up to the hips and gradually getting higher. "Kaito," The instructor breathed out as he collected the magician into a tight hug, pressing kisses all over his face. 

"As much as I love the attention," Kaito murmured against Shinichi's cheek, "We need to get out of here or else we're both dying," He held onto his hand, wet and wrinkly but offered so much warmth. 

"The rescue boats are just by the outdoor pool on the left wing," Shinichi informed, sheepish ahoy detaching himself from the magician and tugging him along down the flooded hallway.

"Where are Saguru and Aoko?" The magician asked and Shinichi's face contorted with displeasure, "You worry about Hakuba when you're about to die?!" The instructor pulled Kaito along down the hallway, out of the south wing and into the main deck. 

"Of course I'll worry about my childhood friends!" Kaito exclaimed against the blaring sirens, by now everyone has evacuated and only the two of them were left onboard, "Not when you're about to die!" Shinichi responded and Kaito got stuck midway in a revelation, "Are you jealous of Saguru?" He called out as Shinichi unfastened the rescue boat that hung by the side of the cruise. "I am not," The instructor growled out with a ghost of a pout as he took off two out of four of the straps.

"I don't love him gods Shinichi," Something must be wrong with Kaito because he was laughing in the middle of a sinking ship, "He's my brother, little brother if you will," Kaito's happiness was cut off by a cry of triumph from Shinichi as he fully unfastened the boat and it fell with a loud splash below, "We need to jump!" Shinichi screamed out and was about to carry Kaito bridal style to swan dive down into the ocean but an explosion halted their plans as the blast of the explosion flung the two overboard, separating the two and Kaito fell into a dark abyss for the how many-eth time that week. 

He tried to swim up but debris slammed against him, making the magician let out a silent scream as the iron collided with his body and no doubt breaking a rib or two. He couldn't see past what was in front of him due to the debris and the light refracting from the flames of the explosion above, he didn't know where Shinichi was or if he survived the explosion and he prayed, as he sank deeper and deeper into the ocean that Shinichi survived. 

He prayed hard as his consciousness slipped away and his vision blurred into darkness.

He prayed that Kudo Shinichi won't be next in line to follow after Kuroba Touichi.

His prayers were answered as a gust of bubbles appeared into his blurring vision as Shinichi swam closer and closer, hands outstretched to reach out for Kaito and the magician tried to reach back. 

His lungs burned from the lack of oxygen and Kaito was sure that he would die soon, as Shinichi pressed his body close to the man and pressed his lips against Kaito's, giving him all of his oxygen before swimming up and Kaito wondered for the second time that day, what did he do to deserve Kudo Shinichi?

His world turned black after that and all he could hope for was that Shinichi made it to the surface.

☁︎☁︎☁︎

_Kaito held vivid memories of that destined day all those years ago, remembered in perfect detail no matter what he did he could never forget._

_He remembered the color of confetti that were fired from the party poppers as Konnosuke Jii initiated the grand opening of a park called 'Miracle Land' and his father stood beside him as a star of the show._

_He remembered his designated seat by the front of the bayside magic show where his father was preparing for a roller coaster magic trick, he remembered the familiar sound of the crashing waves beside him as it mixed with the screams of happiness from onlookers and guests._

_He remembered the deafening explosion that resounded through the bright blue sky and how the roller coaster had fallen apart from a timed bomb, how the bleachers caught on fire, spreading quickly and greedily consuming the ground._

_He remembered how his mother had collected him and jumped into the water, plunging the two into torrent currents separating them the moment they entered the dark abyss._

_He remembered how his lungs filled with water, how he couldn't breathe and how fishes circling him like underwater vultures, he remembered how their slimy bodies rubbed against his small frame, he remembered how lifeless their eyes looked when he tried to look around him._

_He still remembered how he almost died when he was 4, how Kuroba Touichi died in a planned accident,_

_How Kuroba Kaito developed ichthyophobia and **thalassophobia**_

☁︎☁︎☁︎ 

He woke up to unfamiliar white walls with the faint smell of antiseptic filling the room and the soft sound of a heart monitor beeping by his right. He had oxygen tubes fastened to his nose, helping him breathe better and his torso was bandages and slightly itching from a stitch that was undoubtedly from fixing his broken ribs.

By his side was a sleeping Shinichi who even in his sleep looked distressed, he wore the same clothes he had worn the day of the explosion and looked grimy and dirty as if he hadn't showered in days. 

"You're awake, good." A British voice softly called out from the doorway where Saguru stood wearing a simple tee and ripped jeans way too small for him, telling Kaito that he had most probably raided Kaito's wardrobe in a hurry. Maroon eyes held fear and worry in them, "Rescue found you hours after the explosions, they found Shinichi cradling your body, both of you were passed out and the doctors told us that Shinichi had shared his body warmth with you to prevent you from dying from hypothermia, despite battling against it himself and you really scored yourself a man," 

Kaito looked down at the instructor and let his hand run through the coarse and oily mop of hair that belonged to Shinichi, the action seemed to have roused the said man back into the land of the living as his eyes snapped open, jolting up and looking directly at Kaito. 

He didn't say anything, neither one dared to speak instead they opted to hugged one another as tightly as possible, marveling in each other's warmth and Saguru decided to leave before he saw something traumatizing. 

"Thank god," Shinichi whispered against Kaito's shoulder as he loosened his grip to look at Kaito, "You slept for days, we didn't know if you would wake up or.." Kaito hushed him with his pointer finger, physically halting the negative thoughts that flooded Shinichi's mind. 

"Thanks to you I'm alive," Kaito stated with a soft smile, pressing his head against the other man's neck. They fell into silence as neither of them made further actions to move away, "What you said back at the south wing," Kaito started hesitantly, "Did you mean it?" 

Shinichi gave him an incredulous look as he slowly nodded and answered: "We were technically about to die around that time and I don't think I can make up lies when I'm on the verge of death so yes, I love you," 

"What a relief," Kaito answered with a smile breaking through his expression, "Because I feel the same way," The magician allowed no further words as he pulled the other man into a warm kiss, pressing himself flush against the diving instructor. Shinichi replied with much vigor, letting his arms wrap around the magician to pull him closer while his tongue gave Kaito's lip a timid lick. Granting him access, Kaito let his own tongue rub against his in a battle for dominance before they pulled back with a slight trail of saliva connecting their wet appendages. 

"I love you," Kaito restated with a small blush, resting his head on Shinichi's shoulder, "And I think you deserve to know that I do have two fears, one of fish and the other is open bodies of water, drowning and generally the ocean," The sudden confession of fears caught Shinichi off guard as he pulled back with wide eyes. 

"We're a couple now and it's only right that you know," Kaito defended with a slight pout, "And besides," A toothy grin made it's way onto the magician's face, "I think I'm starting to like the ocean a little bit now since it did bring us together," All the cheese in the world couldn't match up to what left the magician's mouth but Shinichi seemed to love it as he had settled himself between Kaito's legs and commented; 

"The doctor said your stitches are practically all healed up so why don't we test out how warm you can get?" Before diving in and erasing all logical reasoning from Kaito's head and maybe, after all of this he'd thank Saguru from bringing him on the Phantom Voyage. 

_**Kaito had a list of bad decisions in his life and boarding the Phantom Voyage, battling his fears and taking diving lessons weren't a part of it.** _

**Author's Note:**

> *somewhere off screen Aoko and Ran are snogging and Saguru is forever single*
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this monster of a fic and hopefully I'll be back with a shorter one after I let my aching hands rest. X3
> 
> Leave a Kudo on your way out and maybe a review? :3
> 
> Until next time! See you~!!


End file.
